Official Author PageOrder the book HEREOFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Jacob Thorne wakes in a locked room, his arms and legs handcuffed to a chair, an IV in his elbow attached to a bag of saline solution. A note informs him to make the liquid last, as that it is all he gets. Emma Kane is abducted by armed mercenaries told that unless she finds the missing daughter of a ruthless billionaire, her partner and lover Jacob Thorne will die of thirst, trapped in a hidden room.

She has eleven days before his fluid runs out to crack a three-year-old cold case that no one has yet been able to solve. This is the wealthy father’s Hail Mary plan to save his daughter before she’s murdered by an unknown kidnapper.

Will Kane find the missing girl before her lover dies? Do Thorne and Kane have a Hail Mary plan of their own, before it’s too late?

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: As far serial killer thrillers go, Silence Of The Lambs casts a big shadow among the books and the film genre. Since then many writers have taken their shot and given their versions of creepy serial killer stories and have left their individual marks. serial killer thrillers have their own tropes as do epic fantasies and it’s rare to find stories that are set within the mold but have their own twists.
Author Todd Travis debuted with Creatures Of Appetite in 2013 and came to my notice in the end of 2016 when I first read it. It introduced us to two characters Emma Kane & Jacob Thorne who were unlike any I’ve read in this genre. The first book was also set in Nebraska unlike the urban settings which are usually to be found in such stories. The way the story ended, I was a fan and I definitely wasn’t alone. The next book was the one that cemented Todd Travis’s status in my mind. The third book was a prequel and focused on both the protagonist’s pasts.

The most recent book (the fourth of the series) is actually a sequel in terms of chronology to Trophies (book 2) and is set nearly two months later than the climax of Trophies. We meet Emma and Jacob as they arise thoroughly changed after the ferocious events of the climax of Trophies. Emma is back from her sojourn outside the country and is looking forward to her reunion with Jacob. Thorne on the other hand is even more gung-ho about it as he looks forward to seeing how Emma emerges amidst her recent turmoil. But before they can meet, Jacob unceremoniously is disappeared of the face of the earth. Emma is told about his abduction and given a mission by a billionaire to find his daughter who’s trial has long gone cold. Told that she has eleven days to find any trace of his daughter before Jacob Thorne dies. Emma is once again forced into machinations by the wealthy and will have to go even further than before to locate the missing daughter, potentially rescue Jacob and also deal with security that has been assigned to her.

As you can see from the chaotic description, there’s a solid timeclock running in the background to this chapter. After the fantastic events showcased in Trophies, I enjoyed how the author undercut reader expectations by not directly giving us a sequel (he did something similar with the second book as it was set seven years later than the events of the first). This book allows the readers to get immersed in to the world and timeline when we last read about Kane & Thorne. The book’s pace is solid as ever and the storyline is twisted, dark and almost entirely unpredictable as its predecessors.

As always it’s the characters who stand prominent in the story, Emma Kane and Jacob Thorne are disturbing & scary individuals (to put it mildly). Readers got to see why Jacob is the way he is, through events showcased in Talents. In this book, we get another solid peek into his childhood and the beginnings of who he is. Jacob Thorne whom we have met before is a gruff, scary, asshole whose genius level IQ predisposes him to hate humanity. Emma Kane on the other hand is a hero in the most solid, badass meaning of the word. However since Trophies, we have seen her actions blur the line between outright heroism and vigilante justice. The events in this book are a similar step in this direction but as was the case in the previous chronological story, the actions are entirely warranted and none of the readers would fault her for that. In a way, I feel that these books are character studies of two people who could go in either direction of heroism or vigilantism but the readers will be riveted nonetheless.
Todd Travis’ world is a dark one and the author doesn’t pull any punches in mirroring certain current realities to make the stories gritty beyond most others in the genre. The story touched upon several levels & types of abuse (psychological, sexual, parental, etc.) and for those who prefer their fiction light might most definitely want to avoid this series.

This realism as well as the rich characters make his stories stand out easily, the twisted plot and the breakneck pace are the cherry atop this dark, imaginative cake. New readers will be shocked and certainly want to know more, returning readers will get their viewpoints clarified that much more. Lastly the way this book ends, I most certainly want to know what happens next, I love how the author achieved this without a cliffhanger. There’s also the humor which is present sneakily but it certainly delivers and I couldn’t stop guffawing over this line “I always said I was one harassment claim away from being shit-canned, and here we go.” You would have to read the story to understand the context and hopefully you'll find it as hilarious as the author intended it to be.

Unlike Trophies, which for me a five star read, there are some stumbling blocks to this story. Firstly there’s a side character who I felt was a bit wasted, what I mean is that the character’s arc is set up tantalizingly but the resolution seemed a bit haphazard and definitely not up to the standards that Todd Travis has so efficiently exhibited. Also the story’s epilogue also stretches credulity beyond what has been so thoroughly established in this story. This would be a personal grouse and I’m sure there will be readers who don’t even notice it.

CONCLUSION: The Hail Mary is a stunner of a story exactly as the author planned it to be, I had a couple of minor reservations about it but in no way did those stop me from enjoying this book. The Hail Mary is exactly what thriller readers want, a deep dark dive in to the human abyss wherein two souls who are all but warriors in name, showcase their version of justice and cruelty.

Q] Welcome back to Fantasy Book Critic, this year marks the over a decade since you first signed your first professional contract back with Orbit. Since that time, you have been both traditionally & self-published and even under a different last name. How do you look back over the last decade?

RA: With a great deal of disbelief.

When I first decided to make a serious go at being a professional writer, my goal was to be earning a living off my books by the time I turned thirty. This was a pie-in-the-sky dream at the time, but I actually quit my job at 27. I’ve been doing this full time for nine years now, and I’m still waiting for the day when I have to go get a real job. It doesn’t feel real that I get to do something this fun for a living, but I never forget that my readers are the ones who make it possible. It’s so cheesy, but y’all really did make my dreams come true. Thank you all so much for being my readers!

Q] Currently with the release of Last Dragon Standing, you have completed three series in vastly differing genres and across three different universes. With 13 full length books, 2 short stories, & 1 non-fiction book. You truly give hope to writers and readers alike. What do you think of your productivity vis-à-vis the current trend of long drawn out, never-ending fantasy sagas?

RA: I wish I could say this was all part of a master plan, but I’ve always written whatever felt best to me at the time. Writing is very much an instinctive art for me. You never want a book to feel dragged out, so I always make sure I plan my series with a solid end in mind. I think this is better for everyone. I would definitely get bored if I tried to write a giant saga, and a story that has a definite ending in sight naturally moves better than a meandering one. This is not to say that all sprawling sagas meander! There are definitely ones that don’t, and even the meandering ones have loyal fans that love them. It’s just not the format for me. I need to know the story is building toward a climax if I’m going to invest my energy in it. Stories need ends, preferable fantastic, satisfying ones. That’s what I love to read myself, and so I try to give my fans the same courtesy.

Q] Let’s talk about the ending of the Heartstrikers series, while this was possibly one of your best works in terms of genre melds along with characters. It was also a series from wherein you learnt a lot with regards to plotting. Can you perhaps give the readers a peek into the process behind your books and how much heartache it caused?

RA: Hoo boy, these dragons. Heartstrikers is hands down the most complicated thing I’ve ever attempted. I wrote the first book intending to stay in the DFZ and focus on stories there. I actually had a whole range of city drama planned, but once I started writing book 2, I quickly discovered that the dragons—namely Julius’s family and him learning to stand up to them—was where the story actually needed to go.

From there, I had to do a lot of re-planning. A full cast of characters got shelved. I rewrote all of One Good Dragon three times over more than a year. It was horrible. There were times I seriously considered quitting the series because I simply could not get the story right, but I just couldn’t bring myself to let everyone down, or to abandon Julius. He is the one part of these books that has never changed, and I owed it to him to get him to his happy ending. So I stuck with it, and in the end, I think I produced some of my best writing ever. I learned a lot about plotting, a lot about characters, and a hell of a lot about what not to do. In the end, I came out of Heartstrikers a much stronger writer than I went in, and for that alone, I think this bear of a series will always be the one closest to my heart.

Seriously, though, I didn’t think I was going to make it at times. Having a main character who makes friends with his enemies and refuses to kill anyone means a lot of characters sticking around and complicating the works.

Q] You had previously gone back and forth about the total number of books from five to four and then to five again. Now that the series is concluded, can you talk about the why and how of this back & forth?

RA: It was all an issue of wordcount. When I plotted books 4 and 5, I thought I wouldn’t have enough material to do a full fifth book. Since book 4 ends on a cliffhanger, I figured I could solve this by sticking the events I’d planned for book 5 onto the end. It made for a bit of a weird structure, but I thought that would be preferable to having four 150k+ books and then a weirdly short fifth book.

I was happy with this plan, but then I actually wrote the combined book 4/5 and ended up with a monster. The whole thing clocked in at over 220 thousand words. That is WAY too long! I had to cut it, so I cut it at the old end of book 4 and wrote a proper 5th book. The result was a bit shorter—Last Dragon Standing is about ¾ the size of the other Heartstriker novels—but it’s still a perfectly respectable length and breaking it out allowed me to really take my time with the character drama, which has proven to be a very good decision indeed.

The glamourous life of an author, folks!

Q] Previously in your guest post, you had stated that Julius would stay true to his ideals and you tested him thoroughly on it. He was the one constant throughout as everyone else has had status changes in terms of power, magic, and life, etc. Of all your protagonists, he seems to be the strongest willed one when it comes to his ideals? What would you say about him compared to Devi & Eli?

RA: I might get some hate for this, but I think Julius had it a lot harder than Devi or Eli. Because he’s so good, there was a real risk of accidentally making him a Marty Stu. To keep things balanced, I had to make his challenges absolutely ridiculous and unfair, far more than I usually would. I’m not normally a cruel author, but I had to be mean to Julius to make his character feel sincere.

The result was a much harsher ride emotionally and physically than either Devi or Eli had to put up with. He had to stand stronger against a lot more, and that made him a better, stronger character. Everyone in Heartstrikers blossomed under the pressure, which means I’m going to be much crueler from here out. Making characters cling to their ideals tooth and nail to the last breath really does wonders for them!

Q] Let’s also talk about the rich world that you’ve created with the DFZ and beyond. Will you be exploring more of that? I want to know more about the rest of the world and how it was affected by the return of magic, presence of dragons & now after LDS the return of human mages & bonded spirits? What will you be exploring in the sequel trilogy?

RA: I’m still nailing things down, but I really want to explore the new DFZ as a place. As I mentioned in an earlier question, the Heartstriker books were supposed to be much more about the world, but the dragons took over as dragons are want to do. I still have a lot of ground to explore in this world that I just didn’t have room to touch on in Julius’s story, and I’m really looking forward to showing off more of how magic changed the world in the new series. I’m especially excited to show off the new DFZ. I’m a giant ShadowRun fangirl, and there are a lot of living city/techno-magical underworld concepts I’ve been dying to try out!

There will still be dragons, of course. It’s me, after all! I’ve got plans for old favorites and new ones, but we’ll all have to wait until I actually write the things to know for sure!

Q] Now that you have declared that you will be writing a sequel series for the first time in your career. How are you approaching it? How much of the past events will have an impact on the new trilogy? Who will be the main characters in the new trilogy?

RA: I can’t actually answer this question because, again, I’m not done planning! This is a very odd beast for me because I’m normally sick to death of a setting after I finish a series and ready to move on. But the DFZ is special. It’s such a bigger world than just dragons and Merlins, and I’m not done exploring it. Whatever these new books end up being, they’ll be their own thing.

Whatever I write, though, I am definitely going to keep the sincerity and heart. The core of these books has always been hope and understanding and the quiet power that comes from listening to your enemy instead of just shooting them. That doesn’t change just because Julius is no longer the main character. They might not be about the Heartstriker dragon clan, but the sequel series will definitely have the same spirit. And some of the same spirits! *rimshot*

Q] The bonding of spirts with humans as a concept is very similar to that in the Eli Monpress world, purposeful much or just a quirky coincidence?

RA: Mostly me thinking the same idea is still cool. I made up the magical system in a fit of inspiration, and I was a little miffed when my husband Travis pointed out how similar it was to Eli. As a person, I have certain things that I think are cool, and apparently this was one of them. In hindsight, I really should have called the spirits gods, because that’s what are, but it was too late. I’ve vowed to have no more spirits for a while, though! Gotta bust out of my rut.

Q] You are also releasing a new book in June (hopefully?) and that’s another first for you as you are collaborating with a debutante author on it. Could you please tell the readers and your fans more about it?

RA: Yes! My husband, Travis Bach, and I have worked together on every novel I’ve written. He actually is the one who came up with Julius (and provided much of the inspiration. My husband is a saint, you guys!). He’s always been a fantastic storyteller, so it was pretty much inevitable when he said he was finally writing a book of his own, I was not at all surprised. What DID surprise me was how good it was!

The moment I read the first draft, I knew we had something special. It had a lot of first novel problems, so I jumped with my professional expertise as what basically amounts to a very hands on editor. Together, I think we made something really special. It’s not really a Rachel Aaron book, but it’s not a Travis Bach book either. It’s something new, the combination of both our talents, and I really hope people enjoy it. We should be making the announcement soon, so if you’re not already, sign up for my New Release mailing list so you don’t miss out!

Q] I was very much happy to learn about Garrison Girl, your new, original novel set in the world of Attack On Titan. As seen by the announcement on twitter. Folks were certainly gaga about it. Please tell us how this all came to be and what’s your story about?

RA: We haven’t done the official announcement, so I can’t say too much, but it’s a story set during the first season of the anime about a rich girl from inside Wall Sina who goes out to Rose to fight the titans and gets a lot more than she bargained for. It’s the bloodiest, most terrifying story I’ve ever written, and I love it to bits! There’s a romance, there’s titan slaying galore, there’s politics and drama, people die—it’s very Attack on Titan. I worked really hard to capture the desperate, fight-to-the-last-inch feeling of the show in my work, and I think fans of the series as well as fans are my books are going to like it a lot.

Q] Django Wexler and Sarah Ash were both ecstatic that you were the first western, non-Asian author to be writing in this legendary franchise. That’s certainly an achievement to say the least. How were you approached for this & what were your apprehensions to be writing in this world?

RA: I got the job because my agent knew I was a giant nerd. When he saw the project, he put my name forward immediately. I pitched my idea as hard as hard as I could, and it worked! I can’t tell you how excited I was to get to write in this world because I find it so inspiring. There are so many stories in this world that the official cannon zooms past with barely a glance. Everyone you see has their backs to the wall, it’s basically a drama engine. You can’t go wrong with that.

Also, the titans are my favorite modern monsters. I find them incredibly interesting and terrifying at the same time. I also love the walls, how they’re both a shield and a cage. Ah! It’s just so good.

My biggest concern was getting the book right. I wanted this novel to feel like Attack on Titan, and that meant changing my own style a bit to match the feel of the series. I kill a lot of people in this book, which my readers know isn’t something I normally do, but part of what makes Attack on Titan so thrilling and terrifying is how no one is safe. The creator is never afraid to kill a major character brutally and swiftly, and if I wanted to write in his world, I couldn’t be either. That said, it is still very much my novel. The setting is licensed, but the story and characters are all my own. It is a little different and a lot bloodier, but if you’ve liked my other stuff, you’re going to like this too!

Q] With at least three series that you will be starting this year (your collaboration with your husband, HS sequel trilogy, & AOT novel), how are you compartmentalizing your writing time? Which books are complete and which new ones are you currently writing?

RA: With the exception of my new DFZ books, which I’m working on now, all of the books above are already written, so I’m actually ahead! Books, especially traditionally published ones like GARRISON GIRL are slow creatures. The stuff you see coming out this year was often written months before. That said, I am REALLY busy making sure everything comes out on time, but I’m full of inspiration and really looking forward to getting books out faster than one per year!

Q] 2018 looks to be the year that you leave a sizeable dent across fans and genres alike. What are your parting thoughts for us fans to expect from the house of Aaron?

RA: My sincere thanks to all of you for being my fans! Seriously, the outpouring of love I’ve seen for the end of Heartstrikers is like nothing else in my career. I am deeply humbled by the heartfelt reactions these books have engendered. I have a lot of new projects in the pipe, but I don’t know if I’ll ever produce something as beloved as Heartstrikers again. This series truly was a painful, beautiful sort of magic for me and for you. I’m so, so happy I had a chance to write my crazy book about a nice dragon. It’s been the high of my career so far. Thank you all so much for taking a chance on me, and I hope you’ll give me the chance to entertain you again.

The Legend of Vanx Malic Collections
*Collection One - To Kill a Witch – Books I-IV

*Collection Two –The Legend Grows Stronger – Books V-VIII

*Collection Three – The Tome and the Lens – Books IX and X w/ bonus content

Short Stories:
Crimzon & Clover I - Orphaned Dragon, Lucky Girl

Crimzon & Clover II - The Tricky Wizard

Crimzon & Clover III - The Grog

Crimzon & Clover IV - The Wrath of Crimzon

Crimzon & Clover V - Killer of Giants

Crimzon & Clover VI – One Bad Bitch

Crimzon & Clover VII – The Fortune’s Fortune

Crimzon & Clover VIII – The First Sarax

Master Zarvin’s Action and Adventure Short Series – A Dragoneer Saga Prelude

Roar – A Wardstone Short Story

The Blood of Coldfrost – A Wardstone Short Story

The First Dragoneer – A Dragoneer Saga Novella

Foxwise – A Legend of Vanx Malic Novella

***Spoiler Alert:
All the above novels take place in the same world, though each series happens in its own time-period and on its own continent. The locations do overlap, in places, but each series is its own from start to finish. Reading any other series is not necessary but might provide insight into the depth of a character, or their past.

Braxton and Nixy, the stars of Fantastica, have a daughter whose great, great granddaughter is Willa the Witch Queen. Willa’s palace is built on the Wardstone bedrock in Xwarda and is one of the most powerful places on the planet these characters share. Willa and her kingdom of Highwander are important and featured in all three of The Wardstone Trilogy novels.

The Wardstone Trilogy partially spawns The Dragoneer Saga, because the first Dragoneer, Marcherion finds the weapon, Ironspike which is the “sword” from The Sword and the Dragon, but there is a little more to it than that.

Both The Dragoneer Saga, and The Wardstone Trilogy tie into The Legend of Vanx Malic. Vanx, the roguish hero of his series is half-Zythian, a shunned race that began when Phen, a human boy once turned into a white marble statue, and then spelled a few other ways in the process of being saved, and Telgra, the eventual Queen of Elves of the Evermore, have children that are the beginning of a whole new race. They are called Phenzythians, which is later shortened to just Zythian because the bulk of the race flees the world to make their own way, on an Island they name Zyth.
Vanx Malic is half-Zythian, and a very distant descendant of Phen and Telgra’s union. But Zahrellion, one of the two female Dragoneers is a more recent inheritor of the strange bloodline. More importantly from The Dragoneer Saga, Prince Richard, who becomes King Richard through the course of the series, is tempted by evil, and even though he was once the best of the Dragoneers, after a series of terrible things happen to he and his dragon, he becomes the nemesis of his onetime companions and is eventually banished. A few hundred years later, after the Dragoneers are long forgotten, Richard’s power has grown and festered so much that he is no longer human. He has learned how to torture powerful magic out of dragons, and spent centuries doing so. He becomes one of Vanx Malic’s most treacherous enemies, the Paragon Dracus.

The Crimzon and Clover Short Story Series ties into The Dragoneer Saga as well. After adventuring in a world that is but a playground to them, they come across an evil so benign that Clover and her great red dragon spend a good portion of their later lives preparing the world for the coming of the Dragoneers. This is because Clover understands that one dragon, even one with a rider as powerful as her, cannot defeat this foe. The dragon Crimzon is featured throughout most of the Dragoneer Saga, and Clover joins them in the latter books, after being released from a trap that has kept her imprisoned for decades.

I think that is about as well as I can explain it. You’ll just have to read all twenty-three novels and thirteen short stories if you want the full story. It was an amazing journey writing it all. And now I think M. R. Mathias (as a pen name) is done. Or maybe not, but it is time to let another voice have a go, and retire M. R. for the time being.

After battling with websites, forums, and platforms, for most of a decade, just to carve out a space for all indie authors, M. R. deserves a fitting break.

Besides the introduction of Fantastica, I guess that is the gist of this guest post. Thank you all for reading. I have enjoyed the ride. I hope you decide to take the journey through the newer parts of my world. If you do, I can only promise this…

It will be spectacular,

All my best,

M. R. Mathias

P.S. I would like to take a moment to thank the staff and fans of Fantasy Book Critic. Without Liviu’s review of The Sword and the Dragon in early 2010, I don’t think near as many readers would have ever found my books.

***Of course I am M. R. Mathias, posting partly in 3rd person, because my real name is Michael Robb Mathias Jr. and I have self-published titles under the names, Michael Robb, M. K. Mathias, and Michael Ender. What I am after, for my future, is simple, and I think my track record is worthy of it. I would like to find an agent, and/or publisher, and release a new fantasy or adventure series, under a new pen name. (or M. R. Mathias if you’d prefer) One that is unassociated with the books listed above. I’m not inclined to go the traditional route, sending off snippets to slush pile readers, frankly because so far that has yielded nothing but wasted waiting time, and rejection letters. Doing it my own way has allowed me to sell over 1.3 million ebooks worldwide.

I am nearing fifty years of age, and I just want to write and fish. I’m not looking for a million dollar deal, just a real publishing contract to help fund what I’ll call my semi-retirement. If you are a “reputable” agent or publisher, looking for a proven author to write a full length novel or two for your imprint, or even a trilogy, feel free to contact me. Mihir, at FBC knows how to reach me, or you can email me directly at mrmathiasjr@aol.com

OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: M. R. Mathias lives on 5 wooded acres. Like the wizards of old, he tends to the animals who share that space and inspire the creatures found in his works. He likes to deep sea fish, to attend sporting events, and genre/cosplay conventions. He has sold well over a million eBooks. His work is critically acclaimed, and he has won multiple literary awards, including a coveted Locus Poll nomination.

Mathias’s title “To Kill a Witch” ,The Legend of Vanx Malic Books I-IV Collection was a semifinalist for the 2016 Kindle Book Award, won the 2016 Reader’s Favorite Award, and won the 2017 American Book Fest Award. Book Ten of the same series, which has a cover painted by the world renown fantasy artist, Larry Elmore, also won a 2017 Reader’s Favorite Award.

Here is what others are saying about M. R. Mathias and his works:

"The Master of Epic Fantasy" - Kindle Nation Daily, Nov. 2017

"There are few writers in the genre of fantasy that can equal the creative mind of M.R. Mathias - now acknowledged as a master in this genre of dragons and dwarves, and magic, and spells, and all aspects of fantasy."-- Top 100, Hall of Fame, Vine Voice, Book Reviewer, Grady Harp

"M.R. Mathias imagines a setting that will entice readers and lead them, along with his characters, on a breathtaking adventure." -- Readers Favorite Book Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2017 Award Winning novel "A Gossamer Lens" from: The Legend of Vanx Malic series

“The author, like always, has amazing writing and makes the book seem so real. The style of writing is great and one of my favorites. Keep up the good work.” – Logic In A Box

"M.R. Mathias is a master at world building and is so good with creative descriptions that you can almost feel the wind whipping through your hair as you soar along on the back of a dragon." -- Readers Favorite Book Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2015 "Gold Medal" Award Winning novel "Blood and Royalty" from: The Dragoneer Saga

"You've (Mathias) already achieved much, much more than so many people who like to think of themselves as writers." -- @Gollancz The Deputy Publishing Director of SF, Fantasy & Horror list of the Orion Publishing Group

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Rachel Aaron lives in Athens, Georgia with her family. She has graduated from University of Georgia with a B.A. in English Literature. She has been an avid reader since her childhood and now has an ever-growing collection to show for it. She loves gaming, Manga comics & reality TV police shows. She also posts regularly on her blog about publishing, books and several other intriguing things.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Dear Reader,

There is no way to write a blurb for this final book without spoiling all of the others. Suffice it to say, mysteries resolve, dragons war, pigeons abound, and Julius must risk himself in ways he never dreamed possible as Bob’s grand plan finally comes to fruition.

But the Great Seer of the Heartstrikers isn’t the only one whose schemes are nearing completion. The Nameless End is coming, and even the machinations of the world’s most brilliant dragon seer might not be enough to stop it. As the world comes crashing down, it’s up Julius to prove what he’s always known: that seers can be wrong, and Nice Dragons don’t always finish last.

CLASSIFICATION: The Heartstriker series is an action-packed urban fantasy series with a strong dose of comedy, post-apocalyptic SF themes and dragons.

FORMAT/INFO: Last Dragon Standing is 311 pages long divided over sixteen numbered chapters with a prologue and an epilogue. Narration is in the third person via Julius Heartstriker, Chelsie Heartstriker, Bob “Brohomir” Heartstriker , one person who will have to go unnamed because of SPOILERS. This is the fifth & final volume of the Heartstriker series.
March 1, 2018 will mark the e-book & paperback publication of Last Dragon Standing and it will be self-published by the author. Cover art and design is by Tia Rambaran.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: I was extremely lucky to be able to read the conclusion to the Heartstrikers series in its manuscript form. I can't thank Rachel Aaron enough for her kindness and for being the awesome person that she is.

The blurb of this book is going to be a difficult one as how do you compose one for a series ender. As you can see with the official blurb as well, the author has kept it as spoiler-free as possible. I'll do my best to continue in the same vein but I will presume that if you are wanting to read this book then you have read all of the four preceding titles. Hence some plot information which I talk about might be spoilerific for the previous titles but I truly don’t see a way around it. So be warned if you are wary about even the least bit of spoilers then READ NO FURTHER!

The book begins (in a fashion similar to its preceding titles) within moments of the climax of the previous book (A Dragon Of A Different Color). We also get a prologue from the point of view of the one character (Bob aka Brohomir) that has been pulling all the strings in the background. It's a glorious prologue and one which will answer another fundamental question about the series and is a special treat for fans of Bob.

After the events of the last book, our characters are all within each other’s proximity in the DFZ and are faced with a situation that is literally the end of all things. Once again it's up to our Nice Dragon to do what is required but he's been overwhelmed with ecstasy by SPOILER's return. We get to see Chelsie reunited with her brood & their father. Then there’s the F clutch who are wholly finding their feet and lastly we also get to see all of the characters mentioned so far (Justin, Ian, Svena, Katyana, the DFZ spirit, etc.) come together. There’s also an epic reunion of sorts between a Heartstriker and the daughter of the three sisters (however it’s not the Hearstriker you are thinking). There's also a major confrontation that has been hinted at since book 2 and we get to see play out in all of its glory. I enjoyed reading it and of course so will the readers.

First thing which I loved and want to highlight is the glorious cover. What's even better about is that it's not by series artist Anna Steinbauer but by Tia Rambaran. Who not only managed to keep the style intact from the previous titles and gave us a fantastic Bob alongwith his pigeon. Secondly this book literally has it all from saving the universe to romantic reunions, & explanations about all the things happening so far. The story hinges on two specific events, the first one we get to see in the first third of the book and the second plot thread is the culmination of Algonquin’s action as the end of the fourth book. It will takes everyone’s efforts, dragons, humans, mages & things from the beyond to make sure that the universe doesn’t get devoured. This is truly the crux of the story and longtime fans of the series are in for one hell of a ride with it.

Previously Rachel had mentioned that this is Bob's book and he takes the center stage in the first third of the story. Almost every character has been his instrument in some form or the other. Plus all his stratagems have led to the events featured in this book and Bob is betting it all for the one thing that he prizes above all and also for preserving the universe. He's a character who many fans love to read about and have can't have enough of his antics. In this book, not only do we get to see him in full flow but also see the "why" behind all of his actions. This not only managed to humanize him but also gave a nice twist of the cool, funny wizard trope.

We also get a renewed focus on Julius Heartstriker who does the impossible by finding solutions where none appear to exist. Rachel Aaron had previously mentioned why she choose Julius as her main character over other stronger and more magical characters. We get another excellent example of that in this book. Even though Julius is a main character, he's been overshadowed by Chelsie, & Marci in the last couple of books. This book he gets back into the thick of things and possibly gets his heart's desire as well. There’s also a potential paternal reveal about the J clutch which was fun to read about and came out of the blue.

This book is the culmination of all of Rachel's plotting efforts and we get to see it spectacularly. From the amazeballs climax featuring almost all the dragons in the world versus something that considers them to be gnats, this book does have a lot of action, magic and upheavals to satisfy most if not all of the heartstrikers fans. The action scenarios are of course in line with all that's been hinted in the previous books but the author goes all out in showcasing why everyone fears dragons. Lastly I wanted to point how truly spectacular a climax Rachel has penned in this book. It measures up to the world shattering events of Spirit’s End(Eli Monpress book 5) and perhaps betters it in terms of sheer imaginative scale. I sincerely wish that this series gets picked up as a TV miniseries just so that we can get to see the visual imagery as mentioned in this concluding volume.

Somethings that perhaps might cause a hiccup or two for the readers is the plot pacing which is a bit off due to the occurrence of two pivotal events. The first one causes the tension to build up and then once it is resolved, we get a bit of uneven pace until the final showdown. I believe Rachel Aaron will expound on this aspect in her interview with us so watch out for that. Another grouse that I had was that one of my favorite characters had a very reduced role in this book, I can see why that would be the case but considering how much of an action-oriented a character this is, it felt off to not see them in much action.
CONCLUSION: Featuring plenty of action, major major reveals and Dragons in all their glory. Last Dragon Standing is the dragontastic ending to this superb series by Rachel Aaron. Why should you check it out? For an amazing character cast, some wonderful world-building, a fantastic magic system and perhaps the best thing of all, a truly undragonlike dragon who makes everyone around him shine brighter. Last Dragon Standing is a finale that showcases the best of what Rachel Aaron offers and leaves you wondering what genre she will conquer next.

As has been the pattern with these lists of mine, January seems to be the best time for posting these. I hope our readers will forgive this idiosyncrasy of mine as I feel the start of the new year is a good time to reflect on the past one. The main reasoning for choosing these titles is the varied milieu of the plots, excellence in prose, characterization and the overall enjoyment they provided. This year was the year of debuts & there were so many terrific ones. And so without further ado, here are my 2017 top reads ...

Top 10 Books of 2017:

1] The Fifth Empire Of Man by Rob J. Hayes & All Systems Red by Martha Wells - Both these titles just were fantastic reads and I couldn’t really find anything to nitpick about them. With All Systems Red, Martha Wells managed to give us a character who transcended humanity but not its quirks and within this novella we read about an AI who is deadpan and deadly at the same time. Cant’ wait to read the sequels featuring Murderbot.

With TFEOM, Rob J. Hayes was able to cap of his pirate duology in the most bloody, exhilarating & twisted way. He also set up the First Earth saga and I can’t wait to read the standalone CITY OF KINGS that will be released in 2018.

2] Red Sister by Mark Lawrence - Mark Lawrence has consistently graced my top 10 list since he made his debut. This book is his best yet as it seamlessly combines SF and fantasy with a protagonist who left readers wanting more of her. For me Grey Sister can’t come soon enough.

3] Skullsworn by Brian Staveley - Brian Staveley’s debut trilogy was one which had its fans and detractors but the ending was certainly epic to say the least. With Skullsworn, he managed to combine the epic ness of his debut and focussed on a character who’s clearly an anti-hero(ine). This book gave us a diabolical plot with a love story and it was a brilliant effort by the author.

4] Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell - Sebastien Castell’s books are a lot of fun and they have been a great example of great S&S. With this volume, he caps off a wonderful series that manages to combine humor, great characters and swashbuckling action in to a heady mix that will leave you with a smile. Series finales don’t get much better than that.

5] The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld - Rene Denfeld wowed us with her debut and now she returns with another story that is suitably dark but yet poignant. The Child Finder is another mix of darkness and superb characters that seem to the author’s strengths. This one didn’t make me teary eyed like her the debut but it’s no less strikingly dark & spectacular.

6] Double Or Nothing by Craig Schaefer - Craig Schaefer’s books are becoming a staple diet for me and with Double Or Nothing, he proves that he’s now the true master of the urban fantasy/crime noir genre. Double On Nothing was a stunner with its plot set up and the twists that it provided. Revealing a lot more about the main backstory while keeping readers enthralled, this book was certainly a revelation.

7] The Legion Of Flame by Anthony Ryan -The Legion Of Flame is a sequel that is better in every department than its predecessor. More action, extensive world-building and characters who shine brighter. This volume ups the ante after the revelations of the climax of The Waking Fire and sets up a story that will conclude emphatically in The Empire Of Ashes in summer 2018.8] The Alice Network by Kate Quinn - This historical thriller featured female spies based on a real-life true spy network. Combining timelines from WWI & WWII, this wonderful thriller gave us heroic characters to root for and a story that will leave you hooked. This is a book that SHOULD be made into a movie or TV series.

9] A Dragon Of A Different Color by Rachel Aaron - What can I say about this series that I haven’t spoken about before. This penultimate volume reveals further secrets, has one of the most emotionally captivating scenes featuring dragons (that I’ve ever read) and ends on a note that makes the final volume a must read. All in all, a typical Rachel Aaron book that also consistently has been featured in my lists since I started compiling them.

10] The Seven by Peter Newman - I’ve been enamored by Peter Newman’s debut book which featured a crazy mix of demons, fantasy, and SF. The sequel was a solid sophomore effort and this volume is basically the best book of all three. It answers all questions, brings in all characters introduced so far and brings all the plot threads to a completely satisfying conclusion that other debut authors should be envious of.

There were a few other titles which should have been on the list but because I had to limit it to eleven, narrowly missed the cut. The three titles mentioned below were also magnificent in their own genres and deserve a shout out to say the least:

Artemis by Andy WeirThe Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

City of Miracles by Robert J. Bennett

Top 10 debuts of 2017:

1] The Nine by Tracy Townsend & The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden - This might be a shocker but i believe both these titles have something in common. They both take the time to develop the world so the reader can experience a fully immersive experience. The characterization is rich and while Katherine Arden needs no accolades from the likes of me, I believe she’s going to be a powerhouse to watch out for.

Tracy Townsend's debut was a unique one which amalgamated urban fantasy, SF, weird fantasy & epic fantasy in a intriguing manner. Tracy's writing style makes this book such a standout one & if she continues the remaining volumes in the same way, this series will be one of my alltime favorite ones.

2] Kings Of The Wyld by Nicholas Eames & The Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson - Both these books featured epic fantasy but with the author’s own twists on the genre. Both debuts were immensely enjoyable and just had the right amount of action, humor and wonderful characters to make them standout perfectly.

3] Blackwing by Ed McDonald & The Woven Ring by M.D. Presley - Blackwing is an interesting debut that mixes epic and post- apocalyptic grimdark fantasy. Ed McDonald’s writing is certainly strong enough to stand on its own but with the world-building just made this debut achieve a higher pedestal.

Another wonderful effort whose sequel remains high on my to-read list for 2018. MD Presley is an equally talented author who deserves many accolades and hid debut featured a world that's seared onto my mind. The world building & the dark characterization especially cemented it for me & I can't wait to see where the author takes the saga.4] Age Of Assassins by R. J. Barker - Orbit had some aces this year and RJ Barker’s debut just gave us readers a wonderful mix of a fantasy and thriller genres. With a protagonist who’s endearing and tough as they come, RJ’s debut showcased its uniqueness amongst the assassin sub-genre of fantasy. Plus the dark humor of the book made me a fan through and through.

5] An Alchemy of Masques And Mirrors by Curtis Craddock - AAOMAM was an underrated debut which would have slipped by my radar, had it not been for Mogsy's wonderful review spotlighting it. This clever book manages to combine genres and also give us brilliant characters. I loved this title & were it not the amazing titles above this book would be in the top 2. Curtis Craddock is a special writer & I can wait to see how his sophomore effort turns out to be.6] IQ by Joe Ide - This was a dark but deceptively charming mystery thriller about a loner with a Sherlockian IQ and his drive for justice. Joe Ide has created a protagonist who will most definitely be compared to Arthur Conan Doyle's best literary product but will be his own man (exactly as he wants to be).

7] Godblind by Anna Stephens -Godblind is a title that were it not for a certain sequence, would be a simple epic fantasy title. Anna Stephens highlights her brilliant imagination with this book & specifically that sequence. Macabre & twisted Godblind is certainly a book that's good & different all the same.

8] Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys - Winter Tide is a dark mixture of X-files, Lovecraftian horror set in the early parts of the twentieth century. It's Ruthanna's prose which makes it a wonderful horror title & yet managed to showcase the humanity of its characters.

9] The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso -The Tethered Mage is a book that seems YA but is far, far from it. Highlighting some crucial themes about identity, individuality, & patriotism, Melissa Caruso wives a dark story that won me over and I'm excited for its sequel as well.

10] Court Of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark & The City Of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty - These 2 titles round up the list and both were wonderfully imagined books. Anna Smith Spark's debut was the more difficult to like and enjoy but that doesn't detract anything from its uniqueness. The City Of Brass featured some wonderful worldbuilding & while the love story wasn't all that great. The overall story made it a debut to remember.

OVERVIEW: The Ghost Line is a
haunting science fiction story about the Titanic
of the stars by debut authors Andrew Neil Gray and J. S. Herbison that Lawrence
M. Schoen calls "a delicious rush of the future and the past."

The Martian Queen was the Titanic of the stars before it was
decommissioned, set to drift back and forth between Earth and Mars on the
off-chance that reclaiming it ever became profitable for the owners. For Saga
and her husband Michel the cruise ship represents a massive payday. Hacking and
stealing the ship could earn them enough to settle down, have children, and pay
for the treatments to save Saga's mother's life.

But the Martian Queen is much
more than their employer has told them. In the twenty years since it was
abandoned, something strange and dangerous has come to reside in the decadent
vessel. Saga feels herself being drawn into a spider's web, and must navigate
the traps and lures of an awakening intelligence if she wants to go home again.

FORMAT: The Ghost
Line is a novella published by Tor. It stands at 144 pages and was published
July 11, 2017. It is a mix of mystery, sci-fi, space exploration.

ANALYSIS: I have
to admit, I am really enjoying these novellas that Tor.com is publishing. For
the most part, they provide a very solid story that is entertaining and
captivating without requiring me to read a doorstopper novel. Considering
Tor.com's past with publishing amazing novellas, I thought I would give The
Ghost Line a try even though it isn't a story or genre I would normally
read.

The Ghost Line is a combination of the Titanic mixed with a
space opera adventure and strange, ghost-like mystery. It might sound like a
strange mix of genres, but it works. Our main character love exploring abandoned
futuristic space ship. There is even a web series that broadcasts the hunts
live to the galaxy. The Ghost Line tells the story as our main character explores
an abandoned vessel ship that is the space version of a cruise ship that has
more than meets the eye. Think of it almost like a space, sci-fi horror story
involving a haunted house but instead of a haunted house it is a haunted ship.

One of my biggest concerns with space opera novels is that
it will be 'science heavy' and it will read like a textbook. The
Ghost Line didn't have the feel to it. There were some scientific explanations
but it didn't feel like a snooze fest or really intimidate me. It was fairly
easy to understand and fit into the novella.

Everything just seemed to fit with The Ghost Line. The
pacing was perfect. It didn't move too fast and feel rushed, but it has a
slower pace that gave the entire read a very mysterious vibe. There were times
I really felt like I was aboard the ship exploring with all of the characters
in the novella.

While I did enjoy The Ghost Line, it did have a few
drawbacks. In many ways, I felt the novella was too short. I am not sure if
there will be any follow up novellas or short stories, but I felt another 30 to
40 pages could have turned this into a solid read.

Given the shorter length, it leads to my other drawback –
the main plotline reveal. While reading I almost felt as if the mystery aspect
went on too long. That left little time for the main reveal at the end. It
still is a wonderful read, but it felt a bit off balance. Again, just a few
more pages added to it probably would have given it a more well-rounded feel.

The Ghost Line is just another novella to add to my
ever-growing list of favorites from Tor.com. I would love to read any follow up
stories that may come up or even other adventures. I certainly recommend this
book to anyone looking for a creepy – yet not scary book – that has a very
sci-fi/futuristic twist to it.

John Hornor Jacobs is a man of many talents, combining a background in advertising, a love for the written word along with a deep fascination for southern culture in all of its glory, charm and crazy. He has written several different books in several genres. Recently with the release of Infernal Machines (Book III of The Incorruptibles series) John was kind enough to join us for a chat about the series and its underlying themes as well as his future works.

Q] Welcome back to Fantasy Book Critic, it’s been a while since your last release. How are things with you?JHJ: All is well. It’s the New Year and I’ve managed to live through 2017. I’ve been very busy this past year, though not as focused on writing as I should be. I am a partner at an advertising agency, where I act as the senior art director, and we’ve had an extraordinarily busy year. So, my day job has taken up a lot of my time. But, I did manage to see one book to print, write two novelettes and two short stories and see them all published. One in Playboy Magazine!

Q] Once you started plotting this trilogy, how much of the entire journey was planned and how much of it evolved organically? Was the ending planned from the very beginning?JHJ: At the time my agent sold the whole series, I had written The Incorruptibles, and was confident I could continue telling stories in that world, but I only had some loose ideas of what might occur next. During the edit-for-submission phase for The Incorruptibles I realized there were some issues, I hadn’t address in the telling of that tale, especially regarding the true nature of some of the characters and especially the secrets and mystery surrounding the vaettir. So, no, I didn't plan it from the beginning but I had an inkling about the rest. Like standing in the foyer of a house you haven’t been in before but still having a pretty good idea about the layout of the house because, well, houses, like books, set up some expectations. Kitchen there, and of course bedrooms upstairs. Where’s the shitter? Right. Of course it’s there. The pain points in writing are opening the wrong doors when figuring out the layout of the house.

Anyway, I planned The Incorruptibles and figured out the other two books as I went along. I always have some scenes between characters in mind, and a notion as to their arc’s resolution, but nothing cast in stone. The most outlining I do is usually a Roman outline where I’ll go, I. In which Shoe and Fisk go to Passasuego to find Beleth, and so forth, just so I keep the plot straight in my mind. I think when my agent sold The Incorruptibles series, I had the first book in the can, and a paragraph for each of the other two.

When I start a book I need a title – yeah, I’m weird like that, but you know how they say snowflakes grow? Crystallizing around a bit of particulate matter in the air? That’s kind of my relationship with titles. I have to have one in my mind to really get work done on a project. When the project is complete, I’m cool with changing the title, but during the writing, in my mind, the title is fixed.

Q] Now talking about your POV characters, all of them are flawed to a degree. But they are also products of their circumstances. What would you say about them: are they truly heroes or circumstantial ones?JHJ: I don’t think there are any “true” heroes. All heroes are circumstantial. “True” heroes in fiction occur in either comics or those sorts of fantasies that use prophecies, chosen ones, and that sort of rot as plot devices. I don’t. However, I will say my characters are usually exceptional in some way otherwise, how could I ask a reader to spend the length of a book with them? That’s part of the unspoken contract between authors and readers, at least in genre. Outside of genre, especially in literary work, authors write about “normal, everyday” people to try and understand some aspect of the human condition and that’s great, but most fiction works on the premise that if we’re going to train the lens of our attention on a character, they should merit our focus.

Conversely, by focusing on a character, they become special. At least depending on the author’s raw talent, craftsmanship, and voice. We’ve all read those books about subject and people who you’d think of as humdrum and become enthralled by entering their world. I think readers, on the whole and whatever the genre, want to feel like a veil is pulled away and a new reality is on view, be it thaumaturgy or taxidermy. On the author side, how could I spend months upon months writing about my characters if they were not exceptional? I need to be fascinated and engaged by my characters just as much as my intended audience because I spend a very long time with them.

Q] I want to ask you about your characters and not just the main POV ones but even the ones that only make secondary appearances. What goes through your mind when you create them? How do you make them so complex, tragic & exciting to read about? JHJ: I don’t always have a firm grasp on a character but sometimes I need the character to perform an action – give some information, offer some resistance - to move the plot along and during the writing of the character I realize not just what that secondary character is doing but why he or she is in story. As in an existential question regarding that character’s reason for being beyond just helping me as a writer.

For example, in Foreign Devils there’s the priceps of the collegium of engineers in Passasuego - a woman named Sapientia - whom I needed as an authority, and to help with some of the manhunt issues of Shoe and Fisk searching for Beleth. However, by the time we reach the end of Infernal Machines, she’s become a major character and somewhat of an unrequited love interest of Shoe’s. Why did I do that? Some of it is because you don’t want to spend “screen time” with a character that never returns – every scene has a purpose – and sometimes characters just grow because authors reason inductively rather than deductively and the character just feels right.

It’s been said before (and by me many times) but writing stories is like dredging the depths of your own psyche. Sometimes you’ll be surprised by what you haul up from those dark waters. It can be an old tire. Or it can be a mermaid.

Q] Most fantasy trilogies often focus on the fantastic, you however chose to highlight that aspect but in quite a different way for example your elves are scary, huge and quite alien. The concept of demons is utilized in a much more industrial way and not to mention the ancient empire analogues. What I wanted to ask you was what specifically went into the world building cauldron for these exciting things?JHJ: I was called some unpleasant things regarding my depiction of the elves in The Incorruptibles because they (and Shoe’s race, the dvergar) were very loose stand-ins for indigenous peoples. But I wanted to create an indigenous people with their natures and response to a colonizing power writ large: the dwarves subjugated, the elves vicious and frightening. I thought that would offer an interesting dynamic, and during the course of the series I could play with, and subvert, those racial expectations. I am pleased with how Shoe, and the dvergar people change, as well as how by the end of the series, how the reader might view the vaettir.

As for the world-building, I really wanted to write about some of the things I loved and the inciting event that drove me to write The Incorruptibles was thinking about spaghetti westerns, and then realizing they were filmed in Italy, and then thinking, what if the western was Roman influenced? And then, I started playing with other ideas (like infernal combustion) and it just grew from there. One of things I see again and again in the reviews I receive is that the world’s premise is hard to explain, shouldn’t work, but it does. And I’m fine with that.

Q] The books start out pretty low key with regards to magic however with each book, the magic quotient is slowly raised. The first book gave us some huge revelations about the nature of the world, second one shone a particular focus on magic. Was this a planned move or do you believe in the Joe Abercrombie approach of keeping magic to minimalistic levels in your books and slowly raising the stakes?JHJ: I’d be lying if I said that George R. R. Martin wasn’t an influence. A Game of Thrones, and the “low magic” aesthetic he espouses was and remains effective because seeing only a bit of the magical naturally poses a question, “If there’s this small amount of the wondrous in this world, surely, there must be more to be revealed.” That’s a pretty interesting frisson you’re giving the readers at the start. Also, it sets your book in a world not too dissimilar from our own, if one discounts the technological level. I’ve read (or tried to read) fantasy novels that have immediate and intricate magic systems they have to explain, people are flying around, buildings are levitating, there are demons strolling around, etc. and all that just doesn’t work for me. But that’s just my personal preference. Folks love it, it seems, judging by some of these author’s book sales.

Another thing I tend to do is look at any magic, like I have with the summoning of dæmons, and say, “Okay, we know how fantasy usually treats this, but how would people really use it?” I feel, at heart, pragmatism trumps magical. Say, if you have a sorcerer that could enchant things to levitate, yes, you might have a world full of skyships charting courses through the clouds, but more than likely, you’d just have a bunch of wheel-less hovering wagons, and a war between the wheelwright’s guild and local city’s journeymen enchanters who’re ruining the wheelwright trade.

Q] Let’s talk about the covers since Gollancz is so apt at creating magnificent cover art. Your Incorruptibles trilogy covers are on the stark but striking side, did you have input about them?JHJ: Of all my books, these are my favorite covers (though my young adult series is a close second). They asked my feedback during the design phase, and I loved that, because I’ve had publishers just say, “Here’s your cover” with no input from me. They really knocked it out of the park.

I will add, I’m probably the worst author in the world to design a cover for since that is what I do for a living and I’m a local, regional, and national Addy Award winner and have had my work featured in many advertising journals, including Lürzer’s ARCHIVE.

Q] What are you writing currently and what can your fans expect to read next from you? JHJ: Currently, I’m writing a historical novel set in Arkansas. It’s the story of a jazz musician who goes to fight in WWII contrasted story of the man who creates the first large mechanized farm town in the south (who also happens to be a serial killer). It’s been going slow, I’m about sixty thousand words into it. Why is it going slow? Two main reasons – I’ve been trying to focus on the literary quality of my prose, to find my style, and the book could be considered my attempt to write something “literary” if that makes any sense. I wanted to write a story without any of the trappings of genre, and just focus on the human experience. In some ways, I’ve discovered that whatever genre you write in – fantasy, horror, sf, mystery, crime – a lot of conflict is baked in the story from the outset. But if you eschew that, then you’re left with just history and people. I imagine smarter people with me will take exception to that statement, but there it is.

And, when writing historical fiction, there’s not a paragraph that goes by that doesn’t require some sort of research. I don’t want to reveal the title of the work because it’s just a great title and I don’t want anyone to steal it (this has happened to me). But also, I’m not certain if it will get published (it’s a very different sort of book) and if it does get published, I’m not sure if it will be under my name.

But since the book is going slow, I needed to complete something, so I began writing a novella in late November, and I’m going to be done with it soon and hope it will see print in the future. It’s not a sequel to Southern Gods (still my most popular book) but it does occur in the same universe. It’s called The Sea Dreams It Is The Sky and if I could describe it, it would be to say it’s cosmic horror if it had been written by Roberto Bolaño.

Humans, as a species, are very much like a person who takes too many selfies. Our favorite subject matter is ourselves. We can’t even interact with the natural world without anthropomorphizing everything. Also, we’re really monstrous. It’s true. Yet, we tell stories many times to convince ourselves that we’re not living on a planet teeming with the hominid monsters, each full of their own desires and drives. We tell stories to convince ourselves we’re not monsters, that we’re actually good. Our that the universe that shat us out isn’t absolutely indifferent to us. That we’re special. That we’re exceptional. Hey, it looks like we’ve come full-circle, back to the first question!

Anywho, fiction is driven by conflict, and humans, being monstrous, are always offering us new ways to be in conflict. So, study them, study yourself. So that not only can you make a better attempt to ascertain truth about the human condition, but also so you can lie in fiction about it convincingly.

Q] Nowadays it’s pretty common to see novels adapted into different formats such as movies, comics, videogames, animation and TV. How would you like for this trilogy to be adapted (if budget was not constrained and it was entirely your choice)? JHJ: I appreciate the question, but I try not to think about stuff like that. No one has optioned any of my books, and at this point I doubt they will. My books are problematic, for a variety of reasons. So, if anyone does choose to adapt one of my books, all I want is to get paid handsomely for the honor and maybe visit the set. Beyond that, I have no thoughts or expectations.

Q] Lastly, do you have any words of wisdom for your readers or anything else you’d like to say about your upcoming works? JHJ: I hope you enjoy my books, if you read them. I hope I have something in print this year for you to read. Failing that, keep an eye out for me in 2019.